Teaching the Queens

In my previous entry I mentioned how I'd some how managed to get talked into teaching English classes. This actually worked out quite well for me as it added a bit of structure to my day (even if it did mean i had to get up at 6am!)

For 18 days throughout December I caught the morning bus to work. I didn't realises that busses could be any more cramped but somehow they managed it! The only small blessing was that as I lived so far out I was normally able to get a seat. However given the crammed convi is I often had to move towards the door a good minute before I wanted to get off as to negotiate a path through the jigsaw of bodies swelling in the vehicles central aisle.

After teaching two classes I finished at 11 and so had time to go into the centre and get some food. This was a really blessing as I've been struggling with food in Peru so being able to choose what I feel like was really great. I would also have a coffee or maybe an ice cream (as it's pretty hot here all year around) and plan my classes for the next day before catching a bus to the office.

Given the lack of structure to my position things can get a bit tedious and sitting in the office for 7 hours would not have been much fun. However as I was only there for 4 hours or so I felt I could be allot more focused on translating the website which was my main job.

You can see the progress at www.ciescu.org. Most of the principle pages are now available in English. I managed to get them to clear the structure up a little but but I still find it's a maze to find what you're looking for. I've been trying to get through a page a day though which I feel is pretty good going given the amount of information that's been crammed on the page. I did try and get things simplified but i think Jose has alot of information he wants to get across.

The other positive thing about teaching is it's given me some links which could be useful for the work. Many of the kids in the Mansion have been asking me to teach them English and to be honest I don't really know where to start! I figured if I taught in the school I'd get some more experience and access to materials which I could use.

I have also mentioned to Samantha (the Sarah Palin look-a-like) about the project and CIESCU and she's interested in helping me set up an English class at the weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to get it up and running and get other foreign visitors who are teaching at the school to help out on the project. The only thing holding it back is that nothing is that easy in Peru!

I asked Jose when a good time to start would be and he suggested the second week of January which didn't give me a lot of time to plan. I contacted Samantha who said that she wanted to visit the area and start to plan. I tried to find out if it was possible to visit in the next day or when would be a good time but it seems the project is struggling and stopped for Christmas/new year/indefinite future or something. so i'm caught between a rock and a hard place. I'm trying to get more involved and set something up which would help the project and the organisation but there isn't actually anything concrete to work around! Ah Peru!

23rd November

The last few weeks have been pretty quiet here so I really don't have much of an excuse for not having written here other than there simply wasn't much to write about.

We had two or three very busy weeks coinciding with the group from Germany coming out here, the trip to Orcomampa and Alca and the start of the project in La Mansion. At that time I felt I wasn't getting a moment to myself so it has been strange these last couple of weeks where nothing has really been asked of me.

The Comedor (kitchen) in La Mansion seems to be running along successfully. I went most of the first week and a few times the second week but of late I've been a bit pre-occupied with trying to get the website in order and the two hour round trip has also been a factor.

For those reading this post as a one off, La Mansion is a pueblo joven, a shanty town on the edge of Areuipa where malnutrition and parasites affect many, in fact post, of the residents especially the children. CIESCU's project is designed to combat these issues by providing nutritional meals for primary aged children. A secondary aim is to aid the capacity building of the community, mostly the mothers, who learn how to prepare these meals under the supervision of two trained nutritionists. Also it is hoped that improved nutrition will have a beneficial effect on the school work of the students.


It's great to finally see a project get going and to get a tangible understanding of what CIESCU actually *does*. When I signed up to come out here I had been under the impression that there were several projects already under way here but as of yet I have not seen them.

On the website there seems to be some projects planned and awaiting finance but these seem to range from restoring colonial era churches to setting up mobile dentists and optromocists however I'm still confused as how this is meant to be accomplished. Jose has explained that my role here is to raise funds for the projects and get volunteers to come out to take part, but without being clear on what the projects are, or even if they currently exist this is proving difficult. At least now that my Spanish is improving I should be able to broach some of these subjects. I also need to find out more about how much money the organisation has and where this goes as any potential funders will want to know this before they send out any money.

I should at this juncture highlight that it is not my intention to complain or gripe about my situation here. My role, however ill defined, is allowing me to learn and explore avenues that would not otherwise be open to me. If all I get out of this year is the experience of living in Peru for a year and improved Spanish this will be enough. I raise these points and problems to illustrate some of the challenges faced in working in Development, especially when you are working with a Southern organisation where stricture and accountability are sometimes not given the same attention as they are in Northern countries.

The Ghost Town and the Gold Mine

We had been invited to Orcopampa by the pueblo’s Alcalde (Mayor) to look into establishing a project combating malnutrition in school aged children. The invitation coincided with the towns 123rd Anniversary of founding so the place was buzzing with activity. There were several media types from the national television and radio and some performers had been drafted in for the celebrations.

At 6:30 (yes, an hour after finally finding a bed) We went to the Alcade’s office to be welcomed along with some of the other guests. After breakfast one of the Alcade’s men, Jorge, took us around to see the area. The town of Orcopampa is basically built around the gold mine located just outside of the town. I asked Jorge if there was any other industry in the town and he said there was not. Nearly everything that came in and out of the town was linked in someway to the mine.




The village of Orcopampa is in a valley plateau, some 3’600 feet high in the Andes. The area is steeped in history extending far beyond the Orcopampa’s 123 years. Pre-Inca terraced fields climb the mountain sides and several colonial era churches are scattered through the valley in various states of disrepair. “Nothing grows here now.” Jorge tells us. The area used to be largely self sufficient, growing potatoes and other crops, but now there is no water and the area and the ground is dry. Most food must now be imported and the children, as well as their families are suffering from malnutrition. That’s we’re here.

We travel to a nearby village, “un pueblo fantasmo” Jose observes. A ghost town. A few houses lie clumped around the crumbling church although it’s difficult to know which are occupied and which have been abandoned. Many of the houses on the edge of the village are little more then roofless shells. We knock on one of the houses, there are clothes hanging in the court yard, presumably signs of life, but no one answers.



It would be easy to blame the areas woe’s on the mine, and very tempting to do so. The mine not only consumes vast quantities of water that would other wise mean that the people could be more self sufficient but contaminates the supply. However if it wasn’t for the mine would most of the people be there? Or would there be a scattering of smaller pueblo’s growing crops for their own consumption and living in isolation? Is this ‘Development’?

Many things in the town are financed by the mine. On the outskirts of the ghost town there was a project financed by the mine that was growing trees to local to the area to combat deforestation. Further along the road there was some kind of ‘research institute’ for horticulture and agriculture that had a few shambling green houses and a pen containing a couple of dozen Llamas.

As we entered a woman came out to meet us. She was young and when Jose addressed her as ‘Senorita’ (Miss) she corrected him. Jose asked how old she was as she seemed pretty young to be married. “Twenty –Three” she replied. She had been married since the age of fourteen and was mother to three children. As she spoke to us a toddler shambled out towards her. I considered asking if he was her eldest or youngest but said nothing. However two more children soon emerged the eldest looking at least nine or ten years of age.

We viewed a few more pueblos and another project financed by the mining corporation. This was “aquaculture” Davis informed me as I tried to make sense of the various tanks of water on the mountain ridge. I had first thought it was some kind of water purification facility but each tank was crowed with fish of different sizes.

We returned to Orcopampa and I was still trying to figure out my thoughts on the mining corporation. They did seem to be at least trying to give some support to the local settlements but I couldn’t help wonder that when the pueblo had a gold mine sitting on its doorstep there was nothing but dirt roads from the town hall to the highway 7 hours away.

The Road To Orcopampa

On the Thursday, my boss informed me that we would be travelling to a town about four hours away to see about seeing up a project. I was told to have my bag packed early as we would be leaving at 3pm.

At 7:30 there was an impatient beeping outside of the house as Jose rolled up in a pick-up truck driven by one of the guys from the village and his wife in the passenger seat. This meant that me, Jose, and Jose’s son, Davis were forced to pile into the back seat. Both of the chairs in the front were pushed back so there was next to no leg room. Davis had kindly let me sit in the middle and even before we set off I knew this was going to be a rough ride.

Initially we followed the main highway which was pretty packed with slow moving busses and HGVs that seemed to struggle up any incline. Fortunately after about two hours we turned off the main road. Unfortunately this was onto a single lane dirt track which ran through the Andes and was no less full of HGVs than the road we had just left.

It wasn’t long before I realised that Jose’s prediction of the journey had probably been taken from somewhere beyond the top of his head. I often struggle to sleep in transport, even airplanes, and so on a bumpy dirt track I wasn’t going to be in for much luck. Davis and Jose seemed to have little trouble. For much of the journey Jose’s head lolled forward and kept resting on my shoulder. This didn’t make me feel any more comfortable so I made sure that every time we went over a bump in the road I jolted my shoulder forward in order to discourage him.

At about 2am (six and a half hours into our four hour journey) The drive pulled over to the side of the road to take a nap. Pushing his chair back to feel recline, and meaning I had to squeeze my knees between the two front seat, he caught some shut eye for thirty minutes or so.

We arrived in Orcopampa at about 5:30, an hour or so after dawn. We were taken to a hostel where finally there was a bad to collapse into.

Malnutrition Vs Education Project

This is the name of the project that will be starting up in the pueblo joven of La Mansion in the next few weeks. The general idea is to provide well balanced, nutritional meals for children in the area who are suffering from malnourishment and other ailments. Food will be prepared by parental volunteers with the help of two nutritionists, Daisy and Pamela.

I'm still a little unclear on the status of the project, it seems that a lot of work had been done previously in investigating the extent of the problem and I have translated reports relating to the level of chronic malnutrition and number of parasites present in the primary aged population. I think previously the project had been running in the school but the arrival of a new director changed that. Apparently the Director and some of the parents and teachers had problems with the project and, if I understand correctly, didn’t feel that it was the school concern to provide meals for the students. I sense I'm not getting the whole story here but it's a little difficult to get specifics given the level of my Spanish ability.

Yesterday we had a meeting with interested parents and teachers in a venue that we've found to provide the meals. Around about 30 parents, all women bar two men and with small children in tow attended. I was able to follow most of the agenda given that I'd already translated some documents on the topic, and it seemed to get a good response. (The report can be found here http://www.ciescu.org/ProjectMalnutritionPovertyVsEducation.htm, although you will need to click the "available in English tab to read it) The whole thing was very organised and involved the election of representative from different areas and the selection of a committee including the a president, vice president and treasurer.

It's good that I'm beginning to get a handle on the projects as up to now I was wondering what was going on. I think CIESCU has many plans for projects but not always the funding. The funding for this particular project comes from two German organisations, Claim for Dignity and another one whose name I can't find right now (the web site is still labyrinthine, even for me). I'll have to try and find some other bodies that might be willing to support projects. I know DfID will be worth contacting but if anyone has any idea who else is worth approaching please let me know.

Pachacutec, Arequipa

The journey from Lima took fifteen hours. After half watching the Italian Job in Spanish my body finally relented and allowed my consciousness to sink into a sleep for a solid five or six hours. My seat on the bus which had initially seemed relatively comfortable slowly began to rebel and conspired against me to allow no further rest past five in the morning.

By now a milky dawn was beginning to descend and allowed me to look out at the window and take stock of surrounding landscape. I had anticipated a view of mountains, but the visa that appeared out of the window was an eerie landscape, flat and desolate covered in moonlike sand and dust. It was only when I caught sight of something grey rising and shimmering on the horizon that I realised that this was no mountain plateau but that I was actually still at sea level.

The road had followed the coast as far as I could tell and passed compound like settlements that seemed to have been built on the sand. Presently the road began to rise and soon enough the pressure in my ears informed me that we were now raising in altitude.

At around nine in the morning, some fifty or so hours after setting off the bus pulled into Arequipa where I was more than relieved to find myself finally meeting Jose, the director of the organisation I was to be working with.

It would have been nice if this had marked the end of my exertions for the time being however it seemed Jose had different plans. After taking me to one of his homes and introducing me to his son, daughter and ex-wife I had barely time to take my bags to the room before Jose was taking me off in his car to show me the office.

I had visited Arequipa once before, some ten years ago, and at that time had not realised quite how large the city was. It took us about thirty minutes to drive across part of the city to where CIESCU’s main office was. Here also was Jose’s second house and family who I was able to meet. I had some lunch here and then Jose took me off again to show me some projects.

My this point I wasn’t particularly together and although I tried my best to focus on what was being said I wasn’t sure how much I followed. As the afternoon drew on we finally left the project we were visiting and went back to the office. I managed to get a brief nap here and at six had some food with Jose’s second family.

It was now getting dark and I was informed that Jose was too tired to drive me back to the place where I’d left my gear and toiletries and I was offered the spare bed adjoining the office for the night. With no other choice apparent I accented and after using the internet for a little while in a vain attempt not to go to bed too early I finally retired at about 8pm local time, closer to 1am according to my body clock. Sixty –five hours or so after I had last been able to get some proper sleep.

First Blog From Peru!

I write this, my first blog from Peru, sitting in a Starbucks in the airport. My watch, now that I have changed it to local time, tells me that is its 1:45am, however my body, which I have not been able to so serrundipitiously placate, tells me that it is 7:45, 24 hours since I woke from a comfortable bed in Chester.

So far my trip has been eventful to say the least. I had origonally plannd to sort my self out with a taxi and a bus to make my way to Arequipa, but was fortnate to be offered a collect from the airport and a drive to a hostel and then to Arequipa the next day. In the back of my mind though I was always thinking "This is Peru. Nothing will be that simple."

Having traversed customs and collected my luggage with suprising expedience I emerged into the arrival lounge prepared to look for the board "Adam. CIESCU" that would indicate my contact. However no such board was present. I went back and checked four times over the next hour so I would know.

Rummaging through my papers I found Jose's number and finally managed to contact him around 12:30, over an hour after we had arranged to meet. My Spanish is not that great, especially when stressed, and Jose didn't appear to speak much English. From the few words I was able to glean I belive his reason for not meeting me was that he "didn't have time" and he suggested taking a taxi, although to where I was not even sure. (My first thought was that he meant he was busy, but after talking with my mum some hours later she suggest the more likely explination that my arrival time had not been passed on to him successfully and so he did not know what time to expect me.)

Having no experience of translating aural Peruvian place names to paper I promptly hung up on Jose declairing that "I have an idea." It took me a further twenty minutes to find somone who was able to ring Jose on my behalf and get more details. Fortunatly the airport is 24 hours so that fact that it was by now 1am was no great hinderence past the ordinary.

Jose was able to give my new found friend, who worked at the telephone cabina in thairport, the directions and he was then able to write them down on a peice of paper which, or so I am told, should be understood by a taxi driver. The address, all things being well, will take me to a hostel where I will be able to grab a few hours sleep before Jose picks me up, or doesn't -we shall see-, in the morning.

Part of me wonders if I should stay in the familiar confines of the airpor for another 6 hours and then make my way across in the morning. It would certainly be easier. Hmm that plan is now growing on me. As much as I like the idea of the adventure of traversing the city under the cloak of darkness I think a I would prefer it better after the break of dawn. If I could garentee that the hostel would be easy to find, that i would be cheap and convinient i would jump at the chance. But this is Peru, and if I did not know before I certainly do now, nothing is ever that simple.